Killing Me Softly: A Thriller Romance Novel [FIRST DRAFT]

Chapter 24

A million other questions flooded my mind.

Theo's story and confessions absolutely blew me away that night. Everything he had said on and off record, especially the off.

There were so many more things that crossed my mind about Mary Jo and Donnie, and then Theo finding the gun. But the ultimate question burning in my mind forced its way out of my mouth.

"But, if Donnie was out on the water, then how did he have time to put the gun under your bed? And when did he put it under the bed? I mean, isn't that a 2-hour drive for you?"

"It's a two-hour drive to Corpus; two and a half to Donnie's marina." Theo darted his eyes over at me from the floor. "See, I've certainly thought of that, too. But, Donnie has a key. My parents do, too, but they were in Florida, so I knew it wasn't them."

"You let Donnie have a key to your house?" I glared at him.

"MJ gave it to him. That was another argument I lost," Theo said and frowned. "I have never been comfortable with Donnie having a key to our house. Because of shit like this."

"He had to have given it to somebody else."

"Unless he snuck in during the middle of the night while I was sleeping and placed the gun under the bed," Theo said. "I considered that, too."

"But, here's another question...why would Donnie kill Mary Jo and not the both of you? As much as he said he loved her, owned her, whatever...what reason would he have to kill her but not you?"

Theo's eyes turned the darkest I had ever seen them, as if the thought in his head was truly the worst thought he could possibly have. He seemed reluctant to say it, but he finally spat it out. "Because he was sickly infatuated with her."

"By 'sickly,' do you mean—?"

"Sexually. Yes," Theo said, blinking rapidly a few times before balling his fists to his lips, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh god." I cringed at the thought. "How do you know that?"

"He told me," Theo answered quickly.

"What!" I shrieked.

Theo nodded with a disgusted look on his face. "Yeah. He told me several times how he wanted to...do stuff...to her."

His face turned so red it almost looked purple.

"You don't have to say it."

"Thank you," he said and exhaled. He closed his eyes and rubbed his hands on his jeans. "I swear, it made me want to kill him. It really did. Off the record," Theo said and paused to glance at my iPad. "It is off, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"If there's anyone I've ever wanted to kill...it's Donnie."

I could see the sheer hate in Theo's eyes for him. It made complete sense to me now why there was so much animosity between the two. "Donnie is a sick, evil fuck, and I wish they would arrest him for what he did to her. Because I am sure, without a shadow of a doubt, he's the one who killed her. All they need is that last, little piece of evidence to prove it.

That's why I haven't killed him yet. Because I'm waiting for that day to come, for them to put him away for good."

I didn't want to ruin his wishes for Donnie, but I wanted to ask Theo, But what if they never do, and he never gets arrested? Then what? But I didn't. No point in raining on his parade when it had already been hit by a hurricane.

"And to answer your question about why he didn't kill MJ and me both...I'm only alive because he needs someone to take the blame for what he did. He hasn't told me anything because he's too busy playing like he's the heartbroken, devastated brother and pointing fingers at me, saying I'm the one who did it. But I know that's why he hasn't done it. Why I'm still alive. He doesn't need the money. He doesn't need the house. He just wants to see me punished."